Transmission device for time meters



April 4, 1961 F. MEYER TRANSMISSION DEVICE FOR TIME METERS 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 25, 1957 I v INVENTOR 2%Heger Unitsd SW eTRANSMISSION DEVICE FOR TIME METERS Friedrich Meyer, Grenchen,Switzerland, assignor to Ebauches S.A., Neuchatel, Switzerland FiledJuly 23, 1957, Ser. No. 673,683

Claims priority, application Switzerland May 29, 1957 2 Claims. (Cl.58-21.13)

The present invention relates to a timepiece of the type in which asingle spring powers the time and alarm mechanisms, the timepieceincluding a translatorily movable sliding gear which, in one directionof rotation, is in mesh with a toothed wheel and, in the other directionof rotation of the toothed wheel, is out of mesh therewith.

An object of the invention is to provide a means acting upon saidsliding gear to automatically keep said gear in an initial positionavoiding setting up on the teeth of said toothed wheel.

Other objects and features will be apparent as the following descriptionproceeds reference being hand to the accompanying drawings illustratingby way of example one embodiment of the invention and in which Fig. 1 isa schematic plan view of the device seen from the side of the windingknob.

Fig. 2 illustrates on a larger scale a detail of the alarm movement;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along broken line III- III of Fig. 2and Figs. 4 and 5 are sectional views taken on a larger scale alongbroken lines IV-IV and V-V respectively of Fig. l.

The device illustrated and described below is used in the alarm movementof an alarm device forming object of my copending patent applicationSerial No. 673,681 filed the same day under the title Alarm Device.

The pillar plates 1 and 2 are mounted on spacing members 3 secured to acatch cover 6 and a casing 7 by means of screws 4 and 5 respectively. Awinding stem 9 rigidly connected with a hand-operable winding knob 8 isjournalled in a bearing 10 of the pillar plate 2 and in a bearing 11 ofthe pillar plate 1. A drive wheel 12 rigidly connected with the windingstem 9 has a toothing 13 extending only over about half thecircumference of the wheel 12 on which are indices 0, 15, 30, 45, 60indicating minutes, the indices being distributed over half thecircumference of the wheel 12 (Fig. 1). These indices become visible ina certain position through a window 56 against a hand 52 provided on thepillar plate 1 and the cover 6. Outermost teeth 14 at the two ends ofthe toothing 13 are shorter than remaining teeth 15. In Fig. 2 only theoutermost tooth 14 at one end is shown. The shorter teeth 14 assist inavoiding jamming or setting-up (described later on). One end of a drivespring. 16 is appended on the winding stem 9 as at 17 (Fig. 4) and theother end of the spring 16 is fixed to a lug 18 bent out of the pillarplate 2 as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The drive wheel 12includes a pin 19 made in one piece with it. A disc 20 with a radiallyprojecting member 21 is loosely placed on the winding stem 9. A pin 22is inserted in the disc 20 or is made in one piece with it and enters aslot 23 of the pillar plate -1. At the right of the drive wheel 12(Fig. 1) a pinion 25 is journalled in the pillar plates 1 and 2 by meansof a shaft 24. This pinion serves to cooperate with the toothing 13 ofthe drive wheel 12., A wheel 26 is loosely mounted on the shaft 24 andis pressed by means of a "ice friction spring 27 abutting on the pinon25 against a disc 28 rigidly fixed to the shaft 24. The wheel 26 is inmesh with a pinion 29 of a shaft 30 journalled in the pillar plates 1and 2, shaft 30 also carrying an intermediate wheel 31 in mesh with thepinion 32 of an escape wheel 33 which together with the pinion 32 ismounted on a shaft 34 journalled in the pillar plates 1 and 2. Theescape wheel 33 cooperates with a pallet or retarder 36 having twopallets 53 and being mounted on the balance shaft 35 journalled in thepillar plates 1 and 2. The balance 37 also carried by the shaft 35 isspringless. The parts 25, 26, 29, 31, 32, 33, 36 and 37 constitute thegoing or retarding movement of the alarm device.

On the left in Fig. l is the alarm movement. It includes a pinion 33 tomesh with the toothing 13 of the drive wheel 12, the pinion 38 and wheel55 forming together a translatorily movable sliding gear in that theshaft 39 of the pinion 38 is mounted in slots 40 of the pillar piates 1and 2 in such a manner that it can be displaced parallel to itself inorder to avoid or give place to the toothing 13 on the winding of thedrive spring 16, i.e. on rotation of the drive wheel 12 in the clockwisedirection of Fig. 1 and to mesh with the toothing 13 on alarm when thespring 16 is running down in anticlockwise direction. Since the pinion38 is not in permanent engagement with the toothing 13 during a completerevolution of the drive wheel 12, but must come into engagement with itat a certain moment, there exists the danger of jamming or setting-upbetween the teeth of the pinion 38 and the toothing 13 in spite of theshorter teeth 14. In order to avoid such setting-up, a leaf spring 41 isin contact with the circumference of the pinion 38 and, in the restposition of the pinion 38, according to Fig. 2, bears against twoadjacent teeth of the pinion 38 in such a manner that setting-up betweenthe teeth of the parts 38 and 13 is definitely avoided in that the toothof the pinion 38 which first engages with a tooth of wheel 12 is held bythe spring 41 in a position directed towards a side of a tooth of thedrive wheel preventing setting up. In order to hold it in place, thespring 41, at its end away from the pinion 38, is bent at a right angleand pressed into a hole 54 of the pillar plate 2. The shaft 39 carries aWheel 55 with ratchet teeth, cooperating with a drive member 43, havingtwo teeth 42, of an alarm or ringing hammer 44. Member 43 and hammer 44connected together by means of a screw 46 are rigidly fixed to the shaft45 journalled in the pillar plates 1 and 2. For emitting alarm signalsthe hammer 44 strikes against a bell 48 fixed to the bearing 10. Sinceon displacement of the shaft 39 of the sliding gear in the slots 40tilting of this shaft becomes possible, a collar 47 is provided on theshaft 45 at the side of the member 43 away from the hammer 44. The wheel55 enters the space axially limited by the hammer 44 and the collar 47,in such a manner that on tilting of the shaft 39 the wheel 55 cannotdisengage from member 43.

The illustrated and described device works as follows:

In the position of the several parts as shown in Fig. l the device isWound up for the period of an hour. In the window 56 the index 60 of thedrive disc or wheel 12 is visible, is. the alarm movement 38, 55, 43,44, 48'

becomes effective after the expiration of sixty minutes. In the initialposition of Fig. l the pin 19 of the drive wheei 12 is between the disc29 and the wheel 55. The projecting member 21 of the disc 20 bears, asmay be seen in Fig. 1, against the top of the pin 19, while the pin 22contacts the end face 49 of the slot 23. The toothing 13 is disengagedfrom the pinion 38 and is immediately before its engagement with thepinion 25. Now, when the drive wheel 12 under the action of the drivespring 16 begins to rotate in the anticlockwise direction of Fig. 1 thetoothing 13 at once engages the pinion'25 which Patented Apr. 4, 1961v V3 through the intermediary of the friction spring 27 drives the wheelsand pinions 26, 29, 31, 32 and 33. The going movement regulates orretards respectively the speed of the drive wheel 12 against the actionof spring 16 in such ajmanner that the drive disc or wheel 12 turnsduring an hour by half a revolution in the anticlockwise direction ofFig. ll When the index of the disc 12 appears in the window 56; i.e.,when the previously adjusted hour has lapsed, the end 50 of the toothing13 shown at the right side in Fig. 1 comes within reach of the pinion 38so that the teeth 14 and 15 engage the pinion 38 and the wheel 55 isturned in the clockwise direction of Fig. 1

and oscillations are? imparted to the member 43 by co operation of theteeth of the wheel 55 with the teeth 42 of the member 43, so'that thehammer 44 strikes against the bell 48. As the drive wheel 12 is not inengagement with the going and regulating movement during the driving-ofthe alarm movement 38, 55, 43, 44, the spring 16 can develop its fullpower for operating the alarm movementand in consequence can impart tothe drive wheel 12 a much greater speed than before so that this'wheelruns through the second half revolution, during which the alarm isgiven, in a very short period (e.g. in to seconds).

At the beginning of the above-described running-down movement the pin 19of the wheel 12 leaves the projecting member 21 and, at a certain momentof the unwinding motion, strikes thereagainst from the topthereof. Thepin 19 by means of the projecting member 21 then carries the disc 20 andits pin 22 along inthe anticlockwise direction until the pin 22 strikesagainst the end face 51 of the slot 23 of the pillar plate'l so that thedrive Wheel 12 is stopped and the alarm ceases. From this end positionthe index 60 is'visible again in the'window 56.

In order to rewind the now unwound device for another period of one hourthe drive wheel 12 is turned in the clockwise direction of Fig. 1 acomplete revolution by means of the winding knob 8. At the beginning ofthis winding movement the toothing 13 strikes against the pinion 38 thusmoving the shaft 39 outwardly along the slots 40 and against the actionof the spring 41 so that the toothing 13 jumps over the pinion 38 of thesliding gear. When the fore end of the toothing 13 arrives in reach'ofthe pinion 25, the latter engages the toothing 13 and is rotated whilethe remaining parts of the going and regulating movement remain at rest,due to the action of the friction spring 27. During the windingoperation the pin 19 is carried in the clockwise direction, to strikeagainst the projecting member 21 from the bottom side and to move itwith the disc 21 and the pin 22 along in the clockwise direction untilthe pin 22 strikes against the end face 49 in the position of Fig. 1.not be turned further in the clockwise direction because The wheel 12can- '4- i the pin 22 strikes against the stationary end face 49. Thecycle as described above may now be repeated.

Instead of using the novel device including the sliding gear in an alarmdevice, it may also be used in time meters for other purposes, e.g. inautomatic winding mechanisms for watch movements.

While I have shown and described one embodiment of my invention I do notwish to limit the scope'thereto but reserve the right to make suchmodifications and rearrangements that may come within the purview of theappending claims.

I claim: 1' I 1. A timepiece of thetype including a toothed drive wheelhaving teeth over only a portion of its circumference and adapted toberotatedin opposite directions the combination therewith of atranslatorily movable sliding gear adapted to be in mesh with the teethof the drive wheel during one direction of rotation thereof and movedout of mesh with .said teeth by the drive wheel during the oppositedirection of rotation thereof, and :1

positioning spring member resiliently bearing against adjacent teeth ofthe sliding gear and urging it towards the drive wheel andsimultaneously positioningthe sliding gear so that a tooth thereof isdirected towards a side of the first tooth of the toothed portiono'f'the drive wheel thereby preventing jamming of opposite teeth of thesliding gear and drive wheel.

2. A timepiece according to claim 1 combined with an alarm deviceincluding a shaft, an alarm hammer mounted on said shaft, acollarmounted'on said shaft spaced from said hammer, a drive member forsaid hammer mountedon said shaft intermediate said hammer and saidcollar, a drive wheel carried withthesliding gear, the drive wheelextending into the space between said hammer'and said collar andbeingthereby arrially secured against tilting so as to maintain engagementwith said drive member.

References Cited in the'file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSSwitzerland May 17, 1954

